Ottoman Capture of Caffa

Timeline

1. 1475Constantinople · IstanbulMehmed II dispatched Gedik Ahmed Pasha to lead a fleet into the Black Sea, targeting the Genoese colonial cities in Crimea and the wavering Crimean khanate. This extended Ottoman naval power from the Mediterranean to the northern Black Sea coast.
2. 1475Caffa · FeodosiaOttoman forces besieged Caffa by sea and land; the Genoese garrison surrendered after brief resistance. The city was renamed Kefe under Ottoman rule, becoming the most important military, administrative, and trading port on the Crimean coast.
3. 1475Southern Crimea · CrimeaGenoese castles such as Sudak and Chembalo changed hands in turn, and the Gazaria colonial system collapsed. Large numbers of Caffa inhabitants were relocated to Istanbul; thereafter the Crimean Khanate existed as an Ottoman vassal, and northern Black Sea trade was dominated by Ottoman and Tatar authorities.